Olympic Champion Leads Indonesia’s Weightlifting Medal Push

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is banking on a mix of proven champions and emerging lifters to strengthen its medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, scheduled for September 19 to October 4, with the national weightlifting body targeting four medals from eight competitors.

The Indonesian Weightlifting Association (PABSI) set the target based on an assessment by its expert team, which evaluated the strength of the competition and each lifter’s medal potential.

PABSI Secretary General Djoko Pramono said the eight selected lifters had been confirmed for the Asian Games, although the organization has not specified the expected color of the four medals.

“Eight athletes are confirmed and approved, and they will go. The expert team has predicted that they could win around four medals. We will see whether that target can be achieved,” Djoko said at the Ministry of Youth and Sports office in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 12, as quoted by Antara.

“According to the expert team, four of the eight have medal potential. We did not specify which medals. The target is simply four medals,” he added.

Indonesia will field four men and four women in the competition. The men’s team consists of Ricko Saputra in the 60kg class, Eko Yuli Irawan (65kg), defending Asian Games champion Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (75kg), and Paris 2024 Olympic champion Rizki Juniansyah (85kg).

The women’s team comprises Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana (49kg), Juliana Klarisa (53kg), Natasya Beteyob (61kg), and Indah Afriza (69kg).

Rahmat will be Indonesia’s only returning Asian Games champion. He won gold in the 73kg class at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, held in 2023, with a total lift of 359kg. He also set Asian Games and world records in the clean and jerk with a 201kg lift at the time.

For Rizki, Aichi-Nagoya will mark his Asian Games debut after winning Olympic gold at Paris 2024. He had previously been projected to compete with Rahmat for the 75kg class before the final allocation placed him in the 85kg category.

Five officials, Dirdja Wihardja, Erwin Abdullah, Samsusi, Sri Indriyani, and Triyatno, will accompany the squad.

The weightlifting competition is scheduled for September 23-29 at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center, where Indonesia will seek to maintain its strong presence in Asian weightlifting. ***